Food La La: Tokachiya Ramen returns to Shirokiya

Following a soft opening last month, Tokachiya Ramen celebrates their grand opening at Ala Moana Center this weekend. From Friday through Monday, customers will receive two pieces of pork hash for free with a purchase of ramen.

Tokachiya first opened at Shirokiya last year with a short-term lease. The restaurant was so popular, Tokachiya president and CEO Junya Tagawa decided to return to and open a permanent spot.

PHOTOS BY LINDSEY MURAOKA / SPECIAL TO THE STAR-ADVERTISER

Tokachiya specializes in traditional Hokkaido-style ramen made with a mixed vegetable broth and miso imported from Japan. Hokkaido is known for their miso broth with corn and butter, and I was pleasantly surprised at how rich and flavorful it is!

The noodles were thick, yellow in color and slightly chewy. The char siu was buttery soft. This is my favorite type of ramen! It reminded me of all the delicious miso ramen shops I ate at in Sapporo.

This is the miso ramen (medium size $9) that comes with char siu, bean sprouts, corn, wakame, and green onions.

Next time I go back I will order the spicy miso ramen. I tried some of the soup broth and it was very delicious and not overly spicy, so you can still taste the rich flavor of the miso.

They also have a shoyu ramen with the same toppings.

I tried a sampling of their gyoza ($3), pork hash ($4.50), and fried rice ($4.50). They were all good, but my favorite was the pork hash. They are handmade and taste fresh! Before trying the food I asked my friend, Toby Tamaye, how it was since he already began eating.

“It tastes so horrible,” he said. “You shouldn’t eat it and just give it all to me.”

Sorry, reverse psychology doesn’t work on me! I ate it all.

Tokachiya Ramen is open from 9:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. daily at the Shirokiya Yataimura. Call (808) 973-9111.———
Lindsey Muraoka blogs about food and drink for the Pulse. Contact her on Twitter or via email at foodlalablog@gmail.com.

rarnedsoum

Lindsey, you have the prices for the sides, what is the prices of the ramen?